The Missionary Lifestyle

We're getting ready for Myanmar! I'm with SFC Backpackers.  In the same week, there are mission teams who are backpacking to Chiang Mai (Thailand), Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.  These mission volunteers spend for their own fare and food.  They take time out from their work and give time for the Lord's work.

Is it possible for Christians of today to make Mission as part of their lifestyle? I say Yes!

Today is Mission Sunday. Our concept of missionaries are priests, nuns, and brothers.  The clergy comprises only of less than 1% of the whole Church.  Isn't it only logical that we, the lay, should respond urgently to mission since we are the rest of the 99% of the Church?

I believe that the efforts of these young missionaries will snowball into a whole new lifestyle for Christians...the Missionary Lifestyle.  What exactly is the Missionary Lifestyle?

1. A Lifestyle of Witnessing
This is everyday evangelization.  Witnessing is about living in the power of the Holy Spirit. Witnesses talk with their actions.  Others are attracted to become Christians because of the example of the witness.  A missionary lives out Christ's mission at home and in the workplace.

2. A Lifestyle of Empowerment
A Missionary is dependent on the Holy Spirit.  He is humble enough to admit that he is just an instrument and the Spirit will bring forth great results. This is as long as the missionary makes himself available. Available for God's Power. He applies this principle of Empowerment even in his work and relationship with others.

3. A Lifestyle of Great Adventure
He is willing to be sent.  He puts mission first, then leisure later.  Some are choosy in their mission assignment and puts forth many conditions.  My leader once said, "If you choose your area, then you are a tourist." A lifestyle of great adventure awaits the missionary.  He can only plan his best, but God will never fail to surprise us and bless us when we do His work.

The missionary lifestyle is a counter-culture of today's "Me Lifestlye." The missionary lifestyle talks about giving and sacrificing. While the Me Lifestyle is more of taking and self-indulging. But what we are not aware of is that the more we think only about ourselves, the more we are missing out of what life has to offer.

Let us Go Out into the World like these Backpackers! This is the new generation of missionaries. All out for God, all out for His mission!

Preparing the Heart, Home, and Society

I'm now in Bangkok and people are anticipating flood. They transferred most of their things to the 2nd floor of their house. Some homes are putting up sand bags and some even put up a 2ft high cement wall for the purpose of blocking the water.  Having witnessed the flood that affected the northern part of the county and the advisory by the government, people are preparing the best they can.

How prepared are we for things to come?  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. (2 Peter 3:10). The parable of the ten virgins also reflect on being prepared. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ (Matthew 25:3-6)


A priest asked the parishioners in his homily, "Who among you here wants to go to heaven?" (Everybody raised their hands). He asked again, "Who among you here wants to die and go to heaven NOW?" (Very few raised their hands).  This reflects our preparedness.  We are afraid to die. But surely, everybody knows that death is inevitable.

Mark Twain suggests, "The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time."

The song Prepare the Way by Darrel Evans may help us on our reflection on preparedness:

Make ready your heart.  Are our hearts clean? When was the last time we went for confession? Have we forgiven?
Make ready your home.  How is our relationship with our family? Are we leading our family closer to God?
Make ready the people of God. Are we taking part in bringing others to God?

The heart, home, and the people of God talk about our individual, family, and societal preparedness.  It is not enough that we ourselves are prepared for the Lord.  We have a responsibility to do our best to renew our families and our society.  John the Baptist is the best example of preparedness.  He went out of his way and prepared others to receive the Lord. "He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie (John 1:27)."  John the Baptist was regarded very highly that when the Lord asked His disciples of 'Who do you say I am?' they said, 'Some say you are John the Baptist, some say you are Elijah..." Despite John's greatness, he did not lose focus on directing others to the Lord.

Let us prepare by directing ourselves and others to the Lord.  Let us make our hearts, homes, and our society ready for the Lord.

Mending The Net

We had an inspiring discussion on evangelization and one of our leaders shared his reflection. It goes...

If we are fishers of men, then there are three things that we ought to do:
We Cast the net. We throw our net into the "sea" and invite people to know God.
We Pull the Net.  When people respond to the invitation, we pull them into the community and engage them in a deeper formation and the practice of Christian lifestyle.
We Mend the Net. Mending our nets mean that along the way we have to adjust and see that relationships are restored, our systems improved, and our evaluations get carried.  When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break (Luke 5:6). This is what we often forget. If we don't mend the net, the "fish" will get away.  This is when a fall out of membership happens.  We reflect on our batchmates who joined community with us, and we realize that there are only a number of us who continued.  As aggressive we are to cast our nets, so must we mend it.

Image from http://www.philcusumanoart.com/mending.html

Every Saint Has a Past and Every Sinner has a Future

We were invited to watch an advanced screening of the movie, "There Be Dragons." It is a film that reflected on the life of St. Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei.  The setting was during the Spanish Civil War in 1936, where facists and communists were against each other. Caught up in between was the Church of which priests were killed and churches were burned.  The movie also highlighted the life of his friend, Manolo, who lived a sinful life, but finding redemption in the end. One of it's main messages was a quote from Oscar Wilde, "Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future."

There is a saint in all of us.  I don't think the saints asked, "Lord please make me a saint."  I think that for them it was a day to day decision of following Christ and obeying him until death.  Many of our Saints were also great sinners.  We have St. Paul who ordered the execution of St. Stephen. We have St. Matthew, who was a tax collector.  St. Augustine prior to his conversion joined a heretical sect called Manicheans.  Yet, the Lord, by His grace called them and they responded to God's call and were transformed by His love.  There are over 10,000 named saints and beati from history, the Roman Martyology and Orthodox sources, but no definitive "head count" (catholic.org). Let us praise God for Saints who help us in the following:

1. Intercessory Prayers
We pray with the saints in heaven. We ask them to intercede for us. In the same way, we pray for others also who requests us for prayers.  We have heard of numerous accounts of miracles wherein prayers were answered through a Saint's intercession.  I visited the the Oratory of St. Joseph in Montreal where I saw literally hundreds of crutches left by those who miraculously prayed through the intercession of St. Joseph.

2. Patrons as examples and guide
We have heard about patron saints. Patron saints are chosen as special protectors or guardians over areas of life. These areas can include occupations, illnesses, churches, countries, causes -- anything that is important to us. The earliest records show that people and churches were named after apostles and martyrs as early as the fourth century (catholic.org). Our patron saints help us in our growth as Christians as we reflect on their examples.  We relate to them. It makes us think that if he or she who is human like us can do it, so can we, by God's grace.  Their life inspires us and strengthens our convictions.

In the coming All Saints Day, let us honor the faithful who have walked this earth before us. Let us call upon the help of thousands of angels, saints, and martyrs who will pray for us to our Lord Jesus.  We need all the prayers we can get so we can truly live as Christ's follower in our daily lives. Sinners as we are, God looks upon our saintly potential.  St. Josemaria Escriva, pray for us.

Sent on Mission

Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. (Lk 10:1)

In two days I'll be heading to Bangkok to take part in the CFC Singles for Christ Global Leaders Summit, after which, our team will be sent to Myanmar to do mission for a week. Some mission teams will be sent to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

The Gospel is very affirming. Christ sends us. This is a very important element of mission. Being sent is an honor for Christ's servants. The dangers are real and the cost is not small. But why go on mission? I could think of three.

1. Because Christ commands it.
Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19)." " As the Father sent me, so I send you (John 20:21)." As Christians, part of our identity is to be missionary. We obey the Lord, out of love, loyalty, and sacrifice.

2. Because the harvest is ready.
He said to them, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest (Luke 10:2). Out there, people are just waiting for the good news to be proclaimed. This is God's work, it His field, He knows where to send us. We need only say yes and He will put His Spirit in us.

3. Because life is meant to be a great adventure!
In mission you will experience things you won't expect. You will be surprised how mightily God will use you. Live life to the fullest! Our abilities will be maximized, our heart for others will be expanded, our spirituality will be brought to greater dependence on God through intimate prayer. Mission will help us see beyond ourselves and lead us to a clearer purpose for our lives.

As Steve Green would put it, "To love the Lord our God is the heartbeat of our mission." We are sent because God loves us and we go because we love the Lord. Let us pray for missionaries worldwide that they may continue to be faithful and endure hardships that come their way. Let us pray that we too may find the strength to say yes to God.

Reflection on Discernment

I went to a Jesuit recollection yesterday.  The reco focused about Discernment. What struck me was it emphasized that if we are to discern, we do it in a period of tranquility.  Tranquility is defined as a disposition free from stress or emotion.  We do not decide at the height of our emotions, like coming from a spiritual high of a retreat or being in a state of depression.  When things normalize or in tranquility, we are able to make a sound judgement in weighing our options, using our all of human faculties (our mind, heart, experiences, situations, advice from others, our practical considerations).  This is yet a tentative discernment, because the final test of discernment is Discernment of Spirits. This is when God allows us to feel peace if our chosen option is His will. This is now beyond our faculties, but more of God speaking to us through our spirit. There will be times when the people around us are disappointed, yet we feel inner peace.  We are also affirmed because we are happy in that choice, although the world may not be agreeable.

Let us continue to discern for God's will. Let His peace reign in our hearts!

JP2: Church is Mission!

We visited the exhibit of the Relics of Blessed Pope John Paul II.  It was in Gateway Mall.  Many people were there, mostly surprised and delighted that there was a display about the holy objects.  But what was also fascinating were the different quotes from Homilies that he gave in different places. One of many particularly caught my attention.  The one he gave on June 6, 2004 in Switzerland.  He exhorts...

Dear friends, the Church is mission! Today she also needs "prophets" who can reawaken in the communities faith in the revealing Word of God, who is rich in mercy. The time has come for preparing young generation of apostles who are not afraid to proclaim the Gospel. It is essential for every baptized person to pass from a faith of habit to a mature faith that is expressed in clear, convinced and courageous personal choices."

1. The Church is Mission!  In my reflection we need to be going out and to boldly regain territories that have been dominated by evil. Like media, politics, and business.  Ironically at the other end of the mall was an autograph signing by a popular men's magazine that feature nudity.  We are being desensitized by the enemy into accepting evil practices as a social norm, until it becomes the law of the land as in the case of many anti-life bills.  We, the church, are called to be missionaries for we are sent to witness God's love to others and stand up for Him.  We are meant to go out and make disciples. But JP2 also reminds us that the Church itself is also a mission area.  We also need Church Renewal so we can be a strong force to battle evil in our society and the world.  One of the ways to actualize this is to be part of a prayer group, a Christian community, be active in Church service, wherein we can be formed and be sent to live out our mission.

2. We need "prophets" who can reawaken faith.  Many of us Christians are 'non-practicing.' We go through the rituals of our religion but forget to practice our faith.  There is a need to reveal the Word of God to others through the lives we live.  How can we reawaken the faith in others? By making the faith awake and alive in our own words and specially our deeds.

3. Preparing young generations of apostles. Much of my formation and conversion was when I joined CFC Youth for Christ in 1995.  There I realized that together with other young people, it is possible to live out my faith in an environment where Christ is upheld and our talents were used to serve Him. I experienced my first mission when I went to Lilo-an, Cebu to start YFC there together with others my age. Since then, mission has been a great part of my life. Now that I am in Couples for Christ, I will never forget how the community has molded me in my youth and helped me in my most trying times.  We are to capture the youth, so when they become the decision makers of society, they will carry in them the experience of Christ and apply it in their profession.

4. Clear, Convinced, and Courageous personal choices.  This is the challenge to many of us who have a "lukewarm" approach to our Christianity.  Many of us do not wish to make a stand. But the truth is that if we do not make a stand, we have already made a stand to sit on the fence and accept the crisis that is before us.  Are we really for Jesus?  Then let us take a look at our business dealings if they are for Christ.  If you are a student, take a look if you are honest and hardworking in your studies. To be clear is not to mar our lifestyle with compromises. To be convinced is to root our decisions to God's word. To be courageous to finally take action for the sake of Christ.

The Church is Mission.  Let us ponder on that. We need to strengthen those who are within the church. We need only look around us, our family, our neighbors, our city.  Let us be inspired by Blessed John Paul II's words. Let us do mission, also from within, so we can be strong, revitalized, and on fire for God's will.

Mission-Ready!

I just came from a meeting with people whose hearts are on fire for the work of global mission! I couldn't help but be set ablaze in love for God. The Holy Spirit dwells in the praise of God's people and pours upon those who truly seek and desire His gifts for empowerment.

These are the qualities I noticed of Mission-Ready people:

1. A great desire to do God's will.
Setting up the mission is not easy. Along comes many challenges, but the desire for mission always lets us see beyond a seemingly hopeless situation. To be on mission is the command Jesus gave in His great commission. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19).

2. The humility that God will use them powerfully. 
Mission-Ready people know that victory is the Lord's and that God just needs their yes for Him to work His marvelous deeds. We feel unnecessary pressure if we are too reliant on our abilities or backgrounds. Genuine confidence comes from the realization that we are merely God's instruments to do His holy will.

3. Infects others to do mission.
One thing about mission-ready people is that they are very contagious. People can't help but be drawn to be part of the mission they are passionately talking about. When we form teams for mission, many of those who come are influenced by the team leader.


4. Willingness to Sacrifice.
They set aside personal resources to make the mission possible. They also use up their limited leave of absences to do mission. There will be discomforts in mission and a lack of rest. But it is the sacrifice that makes our offering pleasing to God.

Being Mission Ready sets us up to receive God's providence. How can we receive His blessings if we are not ready as a vessel to be filled? Readiness is very impotant since God opens up divine opportunities or kairos, and we have to seize the moment or we will lose the chance to be used fully by the Lord and experience His awesome power.

Let us be like Abraham when God called Him, he immediately responded, "Ready!" (Gen 22:1)

One with Christ in a "Multi" World

The new generation has the orientation of being multi-functional, multi-optional, and multi-informational.

We now live in a digitized world with a multi-functional mindset.  With the arrival of the "apps" technology, almost anything is imaginable with our gadgets. We have not yet seen the full potential of these devices. 20 years ago, the only gadget that people carried is the watch, which tells two things (dual function), the time and date.  Now with our cellphones and tablets, you will be overwhelmed with what it can offer.  You can even strum a guitar chord with it or find your way through a GPS mapping system.  We are not anymore content, and we want more things to discover, to download, to play with, to use at work and more.  We become function addicts.

On being multi-optional, we see that the world now offers so many things. We are overwhelmed with the choices that we have to make in a day.  Even just buying coffee seems complicated. Just go to a grocery store and see the variety of soap or shampoo that you have to choose from.  Even buying medicine, we have to take time in choosing.  With cable TV, we endlessly surf channels and sometimes we don't really get to finish one program. There are just so many options.  This can be good in a sense that we can pick the best quality from among a bunch or it can be bad since it delays us in decision making or even worse, leads us not to decide at all because of being confused which is the better one.

With Google and all the other search engines online, we are now in a multi-informational world.  Just type your question in the search box and Viola! You now have the answer.  Do you need to know something about your classmates in high school? Just go to facebook and see how many kids they have and their last vacation pics and etc. Try opening your email and you'll receive lots of "info emails" about products and other junk.  The challenge is to manage information and not anymore to seek it.

So, how do we become evangelistic in a "Multi" world?  How can we introduce Christ, with all the other options and information that are being bombarded upon us daily?  Three truths come to mind:

1. Christ saves. There is only one Savior in the entire universe.  With our multi-functional orientation, only Christ has the function to save our souls.  This is what stands out and puts the other life "apps" to shame.

2. Christ is the best choice.  We have to disabuse our minds from the worldly things that distract us from choosing Christ.  Yes, career, family, friends are important, but Christ is the first choice we should make.  In a multi-optional environment, we have to be single-minded for the Lord.

2. Chirst is the Answer. In a multi-informational era, with all the questions in man's mind, only Christ brings the truth, the answer to everything.  "I am the way the truth and the life... (John 14:6)"

These truths puts our "multi" world into order and in priority. We need just to show others that Christ stands out and He is not to here to sell us something but to offer us eternal life with Him in heaven.  The song, "One Way" by Hillsong strikes a great relevance to our confusing environment. "One way, Jesus, You're the only one that I could live for."

A Perspective on Generosity

A perspective on generosity from my household head: "Generosity is about losing the fear that we will be in want."  The reason why people don't give is that they fear that they will not have enough.  Yet, the Psalmist exhorts us in Psalm 23, "The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing i shall want." And further he says, "He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters..."  Tithing leads us to lose this fear, for we know that God will take care of us.  I've heard of endless stories of people who tithe faithfully and have been blessed abundantly.

When we are generous, our love for money is lessened and our love for God is magnified.  Let us give even if it is difficult at first, and let us continue to give until the fear of uncertainty is gone.

The Power of a Good Story

"A key, perhaps the key, to leadership... is the effective communication of a story." - Howard Gardener
All of us are leaders. We lead our families, our younger siblings, a group, a basketball team, employees. In whatever level, everybody is given a leadership role. Even my 4 year old son, Sev, leads when surrounded by 2 year old playmates. There are many views on effective leadership. But it is hardly mentioned that a good leader tells a good story. We can do a text book approach in leading others, but see how the mood changes once you tell a story about something or someone. A story has a way of driving a point without hard selling your view. A story has a way of touching our emotions and moving us into action.
Jesus, the greatest leader of all time, was a really good story teller. We are inspired from His parables. The story of the Israelites and the first Christian community are our references for our Christian living.
Here are some of my ideas of the elements of good story telling. I call it the 4C's of a good story.


1. Creativity with Integrity.
Be sure nothing is exaggerated or altered. The details should be truthful. A good story can stand on its own. You need only discover it and present it creatively.
2. Clear Analogy
The symbols and characters of the story must address the point you are trying to convey or the values you want to instill.
3. Concise
The story should not be long and winding. Build it up properly. A pattern can be: Before, During (turning point), After, Present, and Hope for the Future.
4. Call to Action
Upon reaching a high point in the story, when the listeners are engaged, there should be a call to action. How can the audience respond to your challenge? Otherwise, you'd end up ranting and with no solution.

A good story to tell is your own story, your testimony. If you are selling a product, be sure you're using it, otherwise you will lose integrity. Walking the talk is at the heart of motivation.
Another is to highlight best practices. There are groups or individuals in your network or field that are doing great in their way of working. Perhaps other groups will pick up and do the same.

Lastly, you can tell the story of the lessons from your prototype or template or sample group. When you have a great idea, you test it, evaluate, and refine until it is ready for replication.
Since we were kids, we were gifted by God of the curiosity and interest for stories. Just look at how the kids' eyes are round with excitement at every turn of a story. Not much has changed for us adults. Let us use the power of a good story to make us effective leaders.

Reflection:
1. When was the last time you told someone a story to drive a lesson or express an idea?
2. What's your story? Organize your personal testimony.

Are You Accountable?

How clear are our "accountabilities?" If something should fail, is there someone who is accountable? Often organizations, systems of government, and families fail because of a lack of accountability.  We hear, "It's not my fault, it's your fault" or "It's everybody's fault" or "Isn't that your job?"

This post is not about pointing fingers, but about taking responsibility. At home, we have to know who is accountable why the money is not managed well.  At work, someone should be accountable why sales are down. In an organization, someone has to be answerable why the membership is dwindling.

Here's a story that I read in my grade school days that very much relates to this topic:


WHO DID IT?


There is a story about four people. Their names are EVERYBODY, SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, and NOBODY. The story goes that there was a very important job that needed to be done. EVERYBODY was asked to do this job. Now ANYBODY could have done this job but NOBODY was willing to do it. Then SOMEBODY got angry about this because it was EVERYBODY'S job to do. Well, EVERYBODY thought that ANYBODY could have done it! But NOBODY realized that EVERYBODY blamed SOMEBODY for not doing the job. Still NOBODY did it. The arguing got worse and finally NOBODY would talk to ANYBODY and EVERYBODY blamed SOMEBODY. What a shame that ANYBODY could have done the job and EVERYBODY could have helped SOMEBODY but yet NOBODY did it!


If there is something you know must be done, don't wait for ANYBODY else to do it or hope that SOMEBODY else will do it because NOBODY else will do it unless you show EVERYBODY else how to do it.



A lack of accountability can be addressed through:

1. Good communication
Having clear expectations resolves a lot of future problems. Knowing what is expected of us makes us accountable. Writing what you agreed on paper helps in expectation setting.

2. Leadership initiative
Once we know our responsibilities, our initiatives as a leader will pave the way for strategies that will address a concern.  Without leadership we will just be waiting on someone else to do it for us, when we clearly know it is our responsibility.  You may get away with the responsibility, but you will also lose relevance.

3. Sincerity

At the heart of accountability is our sincerity to accomplish our commitments.  If you are sincere, you will take it upon yourself to be accountable for the environment, our country, our society, and family.  Our sincerity is rooted from a genuine care for what we are doing.  Those who waste 'office time' are not sincere enough and often make excuses.

 From the very start God was clear on accountability.  Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth (Gen 1:26).  Webster defines dominion as supreme authority.  Therefore, someone who has dominion or supreme authority over something is accountable, regardless of how big or small it is.

Often the word accountable is associated with being liable to an accident or something that went wrong that cost some money or damage.  It is often taken negatively.  But let us take a second look on accountability.  The posture of being accountable will push us to have integrity, to achieve more, and to serve others more.  Let us remember that we are accountable to God.  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable (Hebrews 4:13).  Let us give our best for Him for he has entrusted us to spread His Word throughout the world.

In Search of Clarity

Clarity is an elusive quality.  We want to be clear so that there will be no confusion. Yet, we yearn for freshness, something exciting, and surprising.  They say, "You cannot box-in the Holy Spirit."

"The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit (John 3:8)."


What if everything was laid out before us?  Just to be clear.  We would know what will make us successful, when we would die, and we would know exactly what heaven looks like.  No mystery, no surprises.  No more searching, no more praying. I'm sure life will be boring and we'd be acting like robots.

The future is not known to us for a purpose. It is hard to see the reason behind the tragic things that happen to us or to a friend.  Our faith is often challenged by the desire to know everything right away.  We ask, "Why me Lord?" or  "Where were you  Lord?" We get angry at God because we assume that He did not answer our prayers.

Yet for the Lord, a thousand years is like a blink of an eye. 

"But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years* and a thousand years like one day (2 Peter 3: 8)."


Our prayers have been heard and answered. The answers might not be what we excpect, some answers are beyond our lifetime, some answers we see immediately.

The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard “delay,” but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).


So, why did some good person get an accident or become a victim of a heinous crime? Only God knows the true reason (Jer. 29:11). Our requirement is to have faith that God is good...all the time.

Living a life in the Holy Spirit is fresh, exciting, and full of surprises. It is meant to be unclear, to be a mystery, so we do not stop seeking and yearning for God.  Those who deny God's existence are uncomfortable of what they cannot see or control. They try to box-in life, yet after thousands of years and all these so-called geniuses, no one has found the cure for the common cold.

Let us not stop asking the Lord for clarity of His will for our lives but at same time we have to keep our faith firm when we are confused and the circumstances are unreasonable. If there is one thing that is clear, it is that God loves us and He has a plan for us.

Learning from Steve

Today, it was announced that Steve Jobs passed away.  I'm a fan of his leadership and his relentless pursuit for excellence and innovation. He went through many challenges in life. He was adopted, a college drop-out, got kicked out from apple and back again, and suffered a rare illness. Yet despite all odds, through his leadership he gave us the mac, ipod, iphone, ipad, and even Toy Story through his Pixar years.  His inspiring 2005 Commencement speech in Stanford University went viral. He was a master presenter and blew the audience away with his new product ideas.  He changed technology forever.

What can we get out of Steve Jobs' life?

1. He turned defeats into victories.  He had all the reasons to quit and lose hope, but he kept on moving forward until one thing led to another then it led to success.  He knew that there was a reason for everything, evident in his "connect the dots" analogy of life (see his 2005 Stanford speech).

2. He was a master innovator. Steve would "cannibalize" his own products. The iphone could do almost everything that the ipod had to offer.  He knew how to excite the people with new ideas.  We need to be able to innovate our work, our products, or even ourselves.  Having the drive for innovation makes us lifelong learners.  Innovators always challenge the status quo and they know that there is something better than what they see.

3. He finished strong. He resigned as CEO of Apple at the height of his career. I even saw in the news at that time that Apple had more money than the US gov't.  I feel that if he lived longer, he could have given more. He was only 56. The tech world will surely miss him. A void is being felt by the tech industry.  He gave his utmost and truly finished strong.

I am uncertain if Steve Jobs was a Christian. But through his life, we can reflect on how we should live our lives. Christ offers us the fullness of life. With Christ, we can turn our defeats into victories. Jesus innovates our lives by renewing us with his love and He wants us to finish strong by serving Him 'til the end.


I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:14).

Prayer is Indispensable

We had a whole day of brown out at the office. No light, no computers, and no ventilation. We were let go early. I realized how dependent we are on electricity and on technology to get things done.

What are the things we can't live without? What are indispensable to us?

For many of us, prayer is something of an option.  It may seem that we can do without it for the day. But as one famous Christian bumper sticker says "7 days without prayer makes one weak."  A day without prayer is also tantamount to saying, "Lord I don't need you today."

What is a day without prayer?  Most would say, "I am more impatient. I easily get angry." Some say, "I get to fall into the temptation of talking against other people behind their backs." And this is just one day. Without prayer, we become calloused with pride. Prayer makes us humble and realize our mistakes.  With prayer, we become sensitive to God's will, so we are led to the right track. I think life without prayer is a formula for disaster.

Christ Himself, being God, needed to pray. "One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God (Luke 6:12)." Let us make prayer indispensable.

The Discovery of Why

Sometimes we get too caught up in the system of things that we forget to learn about the spirit behind them.  We fail to realize or understand the "why" and get right into the "how."

One easily gets tired of an endeavor or a commitment if he or she does not have a grounding on the history, the growth, and the present state.  It is important to imbibe the full intent behind your organization, business, or activity.  That is why vision and mission statements are important.  Philosophies can help further explain the intent of the over-arching statements.   It is easy to give up on something you do not appreciate.

A tool that can help us in discovering an intent is to perpetually ask why.  An example: Question: Why are we having this activity? Answer: To be able to share the love of Christ. Q:: Why do we need to share the love of Christ? A: So that they may realize how Christ can save them from their sins.  And the whys continue to one's satisfaction.

Yet some of us have a rich understanding of the why but do not exactly know how to go about it.
A tool for this is to ask myriads of hows. Example: Q: How are we going to share the love of Christ? A: By choosing a bible verse that will make them understand the essence of Christ's love. Q: How do we choose the right verse? A: By having a discernment session. Q: How will the discernment session run? And so on and so forth.

Let us not be tempted to put the horse before the carriage.  The value of the "Why" is often taken for granted.  We just assume that the people we have are committed and will do as told.  Unless the leader wants to build up followers instead of leaders, then you can get into the "How"of things immediately.  But if we are to train leaders, then we have to take time to explain or discover the whys of what we do.

If we are to propel our organization or business, we have to start asking the difficult whys.  Why are we losing members?  Why is our country poor? Why is our product losing sales?  And when we finally find the answers, be bold enough to do the hows.

A lot of us try to find answers for our lives' crossroads.  The truth is that it is hard to find the right answers if we are asking the wrong questions. Let us be discerning of the questions we ask ourselves.  Then and only that we are sure that we are on our way to finding the answers we seek.

Jesus declared why He came down to earth in Luke 4:18 "


“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free...

His mission was clear.  In our endeavors, let us strive for clarity of purpose.  May we accept the challenge to  plunge deep into the sea of knowing why, so that when we rise to the surface we may come to know how.

Rejected for the Sake of Christ

Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the scriptures:  ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes’? (Matthew 21: 42)


This is an interesting passage from the Bible. but I always wondered what cornerstone meant. Here's a definition from Wikipedia:

The cornerstone (or foundation stone) concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure (Wikipedia).

How often are we being teased of being a member of a prayer group?  I remember I was fondly called "Father Kirby" by some of my friends because I went to prayer meetings.  But I noticed later that those who made fun of me often confided with me in their most difficult and hurtful life situations.  At the end they asked me to pray for them.

We experience rejection at different degrees.  There's a subtle rejection through teasing or being referred as weird.  Another degree is when you stand up for your Christian values in a corrupt environment, then you are branded as "a person hard to get along with." Another is when one feels the call to be a missionary or to be a priest, but his own family and friends reject the idea.

What should be our philosophy in times of rejection?  Here are some reflections:


1. It is an honor to be rejected for the sake of Christ. 
But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed (1 Peter 4:13).  In life we get rejected for many reasons.  We may get rejected because of our lack of ability or our physical appearance.  But if we are rejected because of Christ, then what an honor to have represented Him and to have been truly loyal to Him.


2. Draw strength of conviction from your rejection

Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ;e for when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:10).3.

The experience of rejection helps us to be emptied or stripped of our pride.  When pride is gone and humility is practiced, then the full strength of the Holy Spirit will be experienced.  For the Spirit dwells in a humble and contrite heart.


3. God's acceptance is more important than man's rejection
If we are on the side of truth and yet we are rejected, we can only have the peace in our hearts that we did our best to represent the teachings of our Lord.  His righteousness is beyond our life on earth. What is more important than man's rejection is our acceptance in the Lord.  Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me  (Luke 10:16).”


The challenge of evangelization is how not to repel people and lose the chance of bringing them to the Lord. We must therefore have the zeal for righteousness by being an example, a true witness of God's transforming love.  We have to be in the world but not of the world.  If by our witnessing we are rejected, then what a privilege to have taken one for the team.


Why is Christianity alive until today?  I believe a major factor is because of the sacrifices of those who were rejected and martyred for the sake of Christ.

The Value of Starting Small

Those who think big know the value of starting small.  We can launch something massively, but risk failing massively as well. And it's hard to pick up the pieces.  We can never undervalue the practice of prototyping. With prototyping or sampling, comes the challenge of being patient, observant, and diligent.

Do you have a big idea? How long then will it take you to make a prototype or organize a sample group? Do you plan on writing a book? When will you start making the first chapter of that book and let your friends give a feedback?  Do you want to write a song? Then write down the first line and hum the first couple of notes.

Are there big decisions that paralyze us? One who feels the call to priesthood starts off first with a vocation retreat or a search-in.  One who wishes to invest big in business starts off first selling a few samples. Our paralysis can be overcome by doing small steps that will help us feel that it is the right direction to go.  Praying daily can help us discover where God is leading us, rather than just praying one time big time and plunging into the decision right away.

With a small group or sample, we can adjust, correct, and improve. When it's time to replicate, much of the lessons have already been learned and the success rate is higher. 

We notice that Jesus spent much of his time with his 12 apostles. In his 3 years of public life, he never went as far as 100 miles from his home. Yet, look at how globally spread Christianity has become. God even sampled the Israelites, His chosen people, for all of us to learn from.  

Achieve great things by patiently starting small.